Sally Irvine switches to Chandler Chicco Agency from Novartis

Sally Irvine has joined CCA, part of the Chandler Chicco Companies group of agencies, as comms consultant.

In her newly created role, Irvine will report directly to the agency’s MD Anne-Marie Rodriguez de Killeen and become part of the firm’s senior management team.

Rodriguez de Killeen said Irvine would be working across the business, offering senior PR advice and developing new areas of the business. ‘Sally will help to provide senior PR counsel and to build our health policy and market access business,’ she explained.

Irvine joined Novartis in September 2002 as comms manager, before working her way up the ranks at the Swiss firm. She was promoted to the role of director, comms and events in January last year.

A spokeswoman for Novartis declined to comment on plans to replace Irvine and would not reveal who was overseeing the comms team following her departure.

The two firms, Haas & Health Partner PR and SanCom Creative Communication Solutions, added a further 33 employees to the European operations of Chandler Chicco Companies, the leading consultancy in the 2011 PRWeek healthcare league table.

Meanwhile, Novartis has revealed that it is to cut 1,960 jobs in the US and will take £790m of charges to prepare for lower sales of two blood-pressure drugs.